My first care on arriving in this town was to find a countrywoman of mine
who had been married to a lawyer here. It is said of the Viennese that
they cannot live away from their Stephen's steeple; but here was a proof
of the contrary, for there are few couples living so happily as these
friends, and yet they were nearly one thousand miles from St. Stephen's
steeple. {47}
I passed through the whole town on the way from the quay to the hotel,
and thence to my friend. The town is not large, and not very pretty.
The newly-built portion is the best, for it at least has broad, tolerably
long streets, in which the houses are of brick, and sometimes large. In
the by-streets I frequently found wooden barracks ready to fall. The
square is large, but irregular; and as it is used as a general
market-place, it is also very dirty.
[Picture: Christiania]
In the suburbs the houses are mostly built of wood. There are some
rather pretty public buildings; the finest among them are the royal
castle and the fortress. They are built on little elevations, and afford
a beautiful view. The old royal palace is in the town, but not at all
distinguishable from a common private house. The house in which the
Storthing {48} assembles is large, and its portico rests on pillars; but
the steps are of wood, as in all stone houses in Scandinavia. The
theatre seemed large enough for the population; but I did not enter it.
The freemasons' lodge is one of the most beautiful buildings in the town;
it contains two large saloons, which are used for assemblies or
festivities of various kinds, besides serving as the meeting-place of the
freemasons. The university seemed almost too richly built; it is not
finished yet, but is so beautiful that it would be an ornament to the
largest capital. The butchers' market is also very pretty. It is of a
semi-circular shape, and is surrounded by arched passages, in which the
buyers stand, sheltered from the weather. The whole edifice is built of
bricks, left in their natural state, neither stuccoed with mortar nor
whitewashed. There are not many other palaces or fine public buildings,
and most of the houses are one-storied.
One of the features of the place--a custom which is of great use to the
traveller, and prevails in all Scandinavian towns--is, that the names of
the streets are affixed at every corner, so that the passer-by always
knows where he is, without the necessity of asking his way.
Open canals run through the town; and on such nights as the almanac
announces a full or bright moon the streets are not lighted.
Wooden quays surround the harbour, on which several large warehouses,
likewise built of wood, are situated; but, like most of the houses, they
are roofed with tiles.
The arrangement and display of the stores are simple, and the wares very
beautiful, though not of home manufacture. Very few factories exist
here, and every thing has to be imported.
I was much shocked at the raggedly-clad people I met every where in the
streets; the young men especially looked very ragged. They rarely
begged; but I should not have been pleased to meet them alone in a
retired street.
I was fortunate enough to be in Christiania at the time when the
Storthing was sitting. This takes place every three years; the sessions
commence in January or February, and usually last three months; but so
much business had this time accumulated, that the king proposed to extend
the length of the session. To this fortunate accident I owed the
pleasure of witnessing some of the meetings. The king was expected to
close the proceedings in September. {49}
The hall of meeting is long and large. Four rows of tapestried seats,
one rising above the other, run lengthways along the hall, and afford
room for eighty legislators. Opposite the benches a table stands on a
raised platform, and at this table the president and secretary sit. A
gallery, which is open to the public, runs round the upper portion of the
hall.
Although I understood but little of the Norwegian language, I attended
the meetings daily for an hour. I could at least distinguish whether
long or short speeches were made, or whether the orator spoke fluently.
Unfortunately, the speakers I heard spoke the few words they mustered
courage to deliver so slowly and hesitatingly, that I could not form a
very favourable idea of Norwegian eloquence. I was told that the
Storthing only contained three or four good speakers, and they did not
display their talents during my stay.
I have never seen such a variety of carriages as I met with here. The
commonest and most incommodious are called Carriols. A carriol consists
of a narrow, long, open box, resting between two immensely high wheels,
and provided with a very small seat. You are squeezed into this
contrivance, and have to stretch your feet forward. You are then buckled
in with a leather apron as high as the hips, and must remain in this
position, without moving a limb, from the beginning to the end of your
ride. A board is hung on behind the box for the coachman; and from this
perch he, in a kneeling or standing position, directs the horses, unless
the temporary resident of the box should prefer to take the reins
himself. As it is very unpleasant to hear the quivering of the reins on
one side and the smacking of the whip on the other, every one, men and
women, can drive. Besides these carriols, there are phaetons, droschkas,
but no closed vehicles.
The carts which are used for the transport of beer are of a very peculiar
construction. The consumption of beer in Christiania is very great, and
it is at once bottled when made, and not sold in casks. The carts for
the transport of these bottles consist of roomy covered boxes a foot and
a half high, which are divided into partitions like a cellaret, in which
many bottles can be easily and safely transported from one part to
another.
Another species of basket, which the servants use to carry such articles
as are damp or dirty, and which my readers will excuse my describing, is
made of fine white tin, and provided with a handle. Straw baskets are
only used for bread, and for dry and clean provisions.
There are no public gardens or assemblies in Christiania, but numerous
promenades; indeed, every road from the town leads to the most beautiful
scenery, and every hill in the neighbourhood affords the most delightful
prospects.
Ladegardoen is the only spot which is often resorted to by the citizens
by carriage or on foot. It affords many and splendid views of the sea
and its islands, of the surrounding mountains, valleys, and pine and fir
groves. The majority of the country-houses are built here. They are
generally small, but pretty, and surrounded by flower-gardens and
orchards. While there, I seemed to be far in the south, so green and
verdant was the scenery. The corn-fields alone betrayed the north. Not
that the corn was poor; on the contrary, I found many ears bending to the
ground under their weight; but now, towards the end of August, most of it
was standing uncut in the fields.
Near the town stands a pine-grove, from which one has splendid views; two
monuments are raised in it, but neither of them are of importance: one is
raised to the memory of a crown-prince of Sweden, Christian Augustus; the
other to Count Hermann Wenel Jarlsberg.
JOURNEY TO DELEMARKEN.
All I had hitherto seen in Norway had gratified me so much, that I could
not resist the temptation of a journey to the wildly romantic regions of
Delemarken. I was indeed told that it would be a difficult undertaking
for a female, alone and almost entirely ignorant of the language, to make
her way through the peasantry. But I found no one to accompany me, and
was determined to go; so I trusted to fate, and went alone.
According to the inquires I had instituted in respect to this journey, I
anticipated that my greatest difficulties would arise from the absence of
all institutions for the speedy and comfortable progress of travellers.
One is forced to possess a carriage, and to hire horses at every station.
It is sometimes possible to hire a vehicle, but this generally consists
only of a miserable peasant's cart. I hired, therefore, a carriol for
the whole journey, and a horse to the next station, the townlet of
Drammen, distant about twenty-four miles.
On the 25th August, at three o'clock in the afternoon, I left
Christiania, squeezed myself into my carriage, and, following the example
of Norwegian dames, I seized the reins. I drove as if I had been used to
it from infancy. I turned right and left, and my horse galloped and
trotted gaily on.
The road to Drammen is exquisite, and would afford rich subjects for an
artist. All the beauties of nature are here combined in most perfect
harmony. The richness and variety of the scenery are almost oppressive,
and would be an inexhaustible subject for the painter. The vegetation is
much richer than I had hoped to find it so far north; every hill, every
rock, is shaded by verdant foliage; the green of the meadows was of
incomparable freshness; the grass was intermingled with flowers and
herbs, and the corn-fields bent under their golden weight.
I have been in many countries, and have seen beautiful districts; I have
been in Switzerland, in Tyrol, in Italy, and in Salzburg; but I never saw
such peculiarly beautiful scenery as I found here: the sea every where
intruding and following us to Drammen; here forming a lovely lake on
which boats were rocking, there a stream rushing through hills and
meadows; and then again, the splendid expanse dotted with proud
three-masters and with countless islets. After a five hours' ride
through rich valleys and splendid groves, I reached the town of Drammen,
which lies on the shores of the sea and the river Storri Elf, and whose
vicinity was announced by the beautiful country-houses ornamenting the
approach to it.
A long, well-built wooden bridge, furnished with beautiful iron
palisadings, leads over the river. The town of Drammen has pretty
streets and houses, and above 6000 inhabitants. The hotel where I lodged
was pretty and clean. My bedroom was a large room, with which the most
fastidious might have been contented. The supper which they provided for
me was, however, most frugal, consisting only of soft-boiled eggs. They
gave me neither salt nor bread with them, nor a spoon; nothing but a
knife and fork. And it is a mystery to me how soft eggs can be eaten
without bread, and with a knife and fork.
August 25th.
I hired a fresh horse here, with which I proceeded to Kongsberg, eighteen
miles farther. The first seven miles afforded a repetition of the
romantic scenery of the previous day, with the exception of the sea. But
instead I had the beautiful river, until I had ascended a hill, from
whose summit I overlooked a large and apparently populous valley, filled
with groups of houses and single farms. It is strange that there are
very few large towns in Norway; every peasant builds his house in the
midst of his fields.
Beyond this hill the scenery grows more monotonous. The mountains are
lower, the valley narrower, and the road is enclosed by wood or rocks.
One peculiarity of Norwegian rocks is their humidity. The water
penetrates through countless fissures, but only in such small quantities
as to cover the stones with a kind of veil. When the sun shines on these
wet surfaces of rock, of which there are many and large ones, they shine
like mirrors.
Delemarken seems to be tolerably populous. I often met with solitary
peasant-huts in the large gloomy forests, and they gave some life to the
monotonous landscape. The industry of the Norwegian peasant is very
great; for every spot of earth, even on the steepest precipices, bore
potatoes, barley, or oats; their houses also look cheerful, and were
painted for the most part of a brick-red colour.
I found the roads very good, especially the one from Christiania to
Drammen; and the one from Drammen to Kongsberg was not very
objectionable. There is such an abundance of wood in Norway, that the
streets on each side are fenced by wooden enclosures; and every field and
meadow is similarly protected against the intrusion of cattle, and the
miserable roads through the woods are even covered with round trunks of
trees.
The peasantry in this district have no peculiar costume; only the
head-covering of the females is curious. They wear a lady's hat, such as
was fashionable in the last century, ornamented with a bunch behind, and
with an immense shade in front. They are made of any material, generally
of the remains of old garments; and only on Sundays better ones, and
sometimes even silk ones, make their appearance.
In the neighbourhood of Kongsberg this head-dress is no longer worn.
There they wear little caps like the Suabian peasantry, petticoats
commencing under the shoulders, and very short spencers: a very ugly
costume, the whole figure being spoilt by the short waist.
The town of Kongsberg is rather extended, and is beautifully situated on
a hill in the centre of a splendid wooded valley. It is, like all the
towns in Norway except Christiania, built of wood; but it has many
pretty, neat houses and some broad streets.
The stream Storri Elf flows past the town, and forms a small but very
picturesque waterfall a little below the bridge. What pleased me most
was the colour of the water as it surged over the rock. It was about
noon as I drove across the bridge; the sun illuminated the whole country
around, and the waves breaking against the rocks seemed by this light of
a beautiful pale-yellow colour, so that they resembled thick masses of
pure transparent amber.
Two remarkable sights claimed my attention at Kongsberg,--a rich
silver-mine, and a splendid waterfall called the Labrafoss. But as my
time was limited and I could only remain a few hours in Kongsberg, I
preferred to see the waterfall and believe the accounts of the
silver-mine; which were, that the deepest shaft was eight hundred feet
below the surface, and that it was most difficult to remain there, as the
cold, the smoke, and the powder-smell had a very noxious effect on the
traveller accustomed to light and air.
I therefore hired a horse and drove to the fall, which is situated in a
narrow pass about four miles from Kongsberg. The river collects in a
quiet calm basin a little distance above the fall, and then rushes over
the steep precipice with a sudden bound. The considerable depth of the
fall and the quality of water make it a very imposing sight. This is
increased by a gigantic rock planted like a wall in the lower basin, and
opposing its body to the progress of the hurrying waters. The waves
rebound from the rock, and, collecting in mighty masses, rush over it,
forming several smaller waterfalls in their course.
I watched it from a high rock, and was nevertheless covered by the spray
to such a degree, that I sometimes could scarcely open my eyes. My guide
then took me to the lower part of the fall, so that I might have a view
of it from all sides; and each view seemed different and more splendid.
I perceived the same yellow transparent colour which I had remarked in
the fall at Kongsberg in the waters which dashed over the rock and were
illuminated by the sun. I imagine it arises from the rock, which is
every where of a brownish-red colour, for the water itself was clear and
pure.
At four o'clock in the afternoon I left Kongsberg, and drove to Bolkesoe,
a distance of eighteen miles. It was by no means a beautiful or an
agreeable drive; for the road was very bad, and took me through passes
and valleys, across woods and over steep mountains, while the night was
dark and unilluminated by the moon. The thought involuntarily entered my
mind, how easily my guide, who sat close behind me on the vehicle, could
put me out of the world by a gentle blow, and take possession of my
effects. But I had confidence in the upright character of the
Norwegians, and drove on quietly, devoting my attention entirely to the
reins of my little steed, which I had to lead with a sure hand over hill
and valley, over ruts and stones, and along precipices. I heard no sound
but the rushing of the mountain-river, which leaped, close beside us,
over the rocks, and was heard rushing in the far distance.
We did not arrive at Bolkesoe until ten o'clock at night. When we
stopped before an insignificant-looking peasant's cot, and I remembered
my Icelandic night-accommodations, whose exterior this resembled, my
courage failed me; but I was agreeably disappointed when the peasant's
wife led me up a broad staircase into a large clean chamber furnished
with several good beds, some benches, a table, a box, and an iron stove.
I found equal comforts on all the stations of my journey.
There are no proper hotels or posthouses on the little-frequented
Norwegian roads; but the wealthy peasants undertake the duties of both.
I would, however, advise every traveller to provide himself with bread
and other provisions for the trip; for his peasant-host rarely can
furnish him with these. His cows are on the hills during the summer;
fowls are far too great a luxury for him; and his bread is scarcely
eatable: it consists of large round cakes, scarcely half an inch thick,
and very hard; or of equally large cakes scarcely as thick as a knife,
and quite dry. The only eatables I found were fish and potatoes; and
whenever I could stay for several hours, they fetched milk for me from
the hills.
The travelling conveniences are still more unattainable; but these I will
mention in a future chapter, when my experience will be a little more
extensive.
August 26th.
I could not see the situation of the town of Bolkesoe till daylight
to-day, for when I arrived the darkness of night concealed it. It is
situated in a pretty wooded vale, on a little hill at whose foot lies a
beautiful lake of the same name.
The road from here to Tindosoe, about sixteen miles, is not practicable
for vehicles, and I therefore left my carriol here and proceeded on
horseback. The country grows more quiet and uninhabited, and the valleys
become real chasms. Two lakes of considerable size form an agreeable
variety to the wildness of the scenery. The larger one, called the
Foelsoe, is of a regular form, and above two miles in diameter; it is
encircled by picturesque mountains. The effect of the shadows which the
pine-covered mountain-tops throw on the lakes is particularly attractive.
I rode along its shores for more than an hour, and had leisure to see and
examine every thing very accurately, for the horses here travel at a very
slow pace. The reason of this is partly that the guide has no horse, and
walks beside you in a very sleepy manner; the horse knows its master's
peculiarities by long experience, and is only too willing to encourage
him in his slow, dull pace. I spent more than five hours in reaching
Tindosoe. My next object of interest was the celebrated waterfall of
Rykanfoss, to reach which we had to cross a large lake. Although it had
rained incessantly for an hour, and the sky looked threatening, I at once
hired a boat with two rowers to continue my journey without interruption;
for I anticipated a storm, and then I should not have found a boatman who
would have ventured a voyage of four or five hours on this dangerous
lake. In two hours my boat was ready, and I started in the pouring rain,
but rejoiced at least at the absence of fog, which would have concealed
the beauties of nature which surrounded me. The lake is eighteen miles
long, but in many parts only from two to three miles wide. It is
surrounded by mountains, which rise in terraces without the least gap to
admit a distant view. As the mountains are nearly all covered with dark
fir-groves, and overshadow the whole breadth of the narrow lake, the
water seems quite dark, and almost black. This lake is dangerous to
navigate on account of the many rocks rising perpendicularly out of the
water, which, in a storm, shatter a boat dashed against them to pieces,
and the passengers would find an inevitable grave in the deep waters. We
had a flesh and a favourable breeze, which blew us quickly to our
destination. One of the rocks on the coast has a very loud echo.
An island about a mile long divides the lake into equal parts; and when
we had passed it, the landscape became quite peculiar. The mountains
seemed to push before each other, and try whose foot should extend
farthest into the sea. This forms numerous lovely bays; but few of them
are adapted for landing, as the dangerous rocks seem to project every
where.
The little dots of field and meadow which seem to hang against the rock,
and the modest cottages of the peasants, which are built on the points of
the most dangerous precipices, and over which rocks and stones tower as
mountains, present a very curious appearance. The most fearful rocks
hang over the huts, and threaten to crush them by falling, which would
inevitably carry cottage and field with them into the sea. It is
difficult to say whether the boldness or the stupidity of the peasants
induces them to choose such localities for their dwellings.
From the mountains many rivers flow into the lake, and form beautiful
falls. This might only have been the case at that time, because it was
raining incessantly, and the water poured down from all sides, so that
the mountains seemed embroidered with silver threads. It was a beautiful
sight; but I would willingly have relinquished it for a day of sunshine.
It is no trifle to be exposed to such a shower-bath from morning till
night; I was wet through, and had no hope for better weather, as the sky
was clouded all round. My perseverance was nearly exhausted; and I was
on the point of relinquishing the purpose of my journey,--the sight of
the highest Norwegian waterfall,--when it occurred to me that the bad
weather was most favourable for my plan, as each drop of water would
increase the splendour of the waterfall.
After three hours and a half's rowing we reached Haukaness-am-See, where
it is usual to stop a night as there is a pretty farm here, and the
distance from the fall is still considerable.
August 27th.
My first care in the morning was the weather; it was unchanged, and the
experienced peasants prophesied that it would remain wet. As I would not
return nor wait for better weather, I could only take to my boat again,
put on my half-dried cloak, and row on boldly.
The termination of the lake, which we soon reached, was already
sufficient to compensate for my perseverance. A high mountain advances
into the lake, and divides it into two beautiful bays. We entered the
left bay, and landed at Mael, which lies at the mouth of the river
Rykaness. The distance from Haukaness is a little more than two miles.
I had to mount a horse to reach the waterfall, which was yet eleven miles
distant. The road runs through a narrow valley, which gradually narrows
still more until it can only contain the river; and the traveller is
obliged to ascend the heights and grope on along the sides of the
mountains. Below in the vale he sees the foam of the waves surging
against the rocks; they flow like a narrow band of silver in the deep
chasm. Sometimes the path is so high that one neither sees nor hears the
river. The last half mile has to be journeyed on foot, and goes past
spots which are really dangerous; numerous waterfalls rush from the
mountain-sides, and have to be crossed on paths of tree-trunks laid
alongside each other; and roads scarcely a foot wide lead along giddy
precipices. But the traveller may trust unhesitatingly to his guide's
arm, who has hitherto led every one in safety to his destination.
The road from Haukaness to the waterfall must be the finest that can be
imagined on a bright sunny day; for I was enchanted with the
wildly-romantic scenery in spite of the incessant rain and my wet
clothes, and would on no consideration have missed this sight.
Unfortunately the bad weather increased, and thick fogs rolled down into
the valleys. The water flowed down from the mountains, and transformed
our narrow path into a brook, through which we had to wade ankle-deep in
water. At last we reached the spot which afforded the best view of the
fall. It was yet free from mist, and I could still admire the
extraordinary beauty of the fall and its quantity of water. I saw the
immense mountain-rock which closes the valley, the tremendous pillar of
water which dashes over it, and rebounds from the rock projecting in the
centre of the fall, filling the whole valley with clouds of spray, and
concealing the depth to which it descends. I saw this, one of the rarest
and of the most magnificent of natural beauties; but alas, I saw it only
for a moment, and had scarcely time to recover from the surprise of the
first view when I lost it for ever! I was not destined to see the single
grandeurs of the fall and of the surrounding scenery, and was fain to be
content with one look, one glance. Impenetrable mists rolled from all
sides into the wild glen, and shrouded every thing in complete darkness;
I sat on a piece of rock, and gazed for two hours stedfastly at the spot
where a faint outline of the fall was scarcely distinguishable through
the mist sometimes this faint trace even was lost, and I could perceive
its vicinity only by the dreadful sounds of the fall, and by the
trembling of the rock beneath my feet.
After I had gazed, and hoped, and raised my eyes entreatingly to heaven
for a single ray of sunshine, all in vain, I had at last to determine on
my return. I left my post almost with tears in my eyes, and turned my
head more backwards than forwards as we left the spot. At the least
indication of a clearing away of the fog I should have returned.
But I retired farther and farther from it till I reached Mael again,
where I sadly entered my boat, and proceeded uninterruptedly to Tindosoe.
I arrived there towards ten o'clock at night. The wet, the cold, the
want of food, and, above all, the depressed and disappointed state of my
mind, had so affected me, that I went to bed with a slight attack of
fever, and feared that I should not be able to continue my journey on the
following day. But my strong constitution triumphed over every thing,
and at five o'clock in the morning I was ready to continue my journey to
Bolkesoe on horseback.
I was obliged to hurry for fear of missing the departure of the steamer
from Christiania. The journey to Delemarken had been represented to me
as much shorter than I found it in reality; for the constant waiting for
horses, boats, guides, &c. takes up very much time.
August 28th.
I had ordered my horse to be ready at five o'clock, but was obliged to
wait for it until seven o'clock.
Although I made only a short trip into the interior, I had sufficient
opportunities for experiencing the extortions and inconveniences to which
a traveller is liable in Norway. No country in Europe is so much in its
infancy as regards all conveniences for locomotion. It is true that
horses, carriages, boats, &c. can be had at every station, and the law
has fixed the price of these commodities; but every thing is in the hands
of the peasants and the publicans, and they are so skilled in tormenting
the traveller by their intentional slowness, that he is compelled to pay
the two-fold tax, in order to proceed a little more quickly. The
stations are short, being rarely above five or six miles, and one is
therefore constantly changing horses. Arrived at a station, it either
happens that there is really no horse to be had, or that this is an
ostensible excuse. The traveller is told that the horse has to be
fetched from the mountain, and that he can be served in one and a half or
two hours. Thus he rides one hour, and waits two. It is also necessary
to keep the tariff, as every trifle, the saddle, the carriage, the
harness, fetching the horse, the boat, &c., has to be paid for extra; and
when the traveller does not know the fixed prices, he is certain to be
dreadfully imposed upon. At every station a book lies, containing the
legal prices; but it is written in the language of the district, and
utterly unintelligible to the stranger. Into this book, which is
examined by the judge of the district every month, one may enter
complaints against the peasant or publican; but they do not seem to fear
it, for the guide who accompanied me to the fall of Rykanfoss endeavoured
to cheat me twice in the most barefaced manner, by charging me six-fold
for the use of the saddles and the fetching of the horse. When I
threatened to inscribe my complaint in the book, he seemed not to care,
and insisted on his demand, till I was obliged to pay him. On my return
to Mael, I kept my word, asked for the book, and entered my complaint,
although I was alone with all the peasants. It was not so much the money
which annoyed me, as the shameless imposition. I am of opinion that
every one should complain when he is wronged; if it does not benefit him,
it will make the matter more easy for his successor.
I must confess, in justice to the peasants, that they were very indignant
when I told them of the dishonesty of their countryman, and did not
attempt to prevent my complaint.
To conclude my journey, I need only remark that, although the rain had
ceased, the sky was still covered with clouds, and the country shrouded
in mist. I therefore took the shorter road to Christiania, by which I
had come, although I thereby missed a beautiful district, where I should,
as I was told, have seen the most splendid perspective views in Norway.
This would have been on the road from Kongsberg over Kroxleben to
Christiania. The finest part is near Kroxleben.
But the time was too short to take this round, and I returned by way of
Drammen. In the village of Muni, about five miles from Kongsberg, where
I arrived at seven o'clock in the evening, the amiable host wished to
keep me waiting again two hours for a horse; and as this would probably
have happened at every station, I was obliged to hire a horse for the
whole distance to Christiania, at a threefold price. I slept here for a
few hours, left in the night at one o'clock, and arrived at Christiania
the following afternoon at two.
On this journey I found all those people very kind and obliging with whom
I came into no sort of pecuniary relation; but the hosts, the boatmen,
the drivers, the guides, were as selfish and grasping as in any other
country. I believe that kindness and disinterestedness would only be
found in any district by him who has the good fortune to be the first
traveller.
This little excursion was very dear; and yet I think I could now travel
cheaply even in this country, universally acknowledged to be dear. I
would go with the steamer along the coast to Hammerfest, buy a little
vehicle and a good horse there, and then travel pleasantly, and without
annoyance, through the whole country. But for a family who wished to
travel in a comfortable covered carriage, it would be incalculably dear,
and in many parts impossible, on account of the bad roads.
The Norwegian peasantry are strong and robust, but their features are not
the most comely, and they seemed neither wealthy nor cleanly. They were
generally very poorly clad, and always barefooted. Their cottages, built
of wood and covered with tiles, are more roomy than those of the
Icelanders; but they are nevertheless dirty and wretched. A weakness of
the Norwegians is their fondness for coffee, which they drink without
milk or sugar. The old women, as well as the men, smoke their pipes
morning and night.
Miles.
From Christiania to Kongsberg is 41
about
From Kongsberg to the waterfall 5
Labrafoss
From Kongsberg to Bolkosoe 14
From Bolkosoe to Tindosoe 16
From Tindosoe across the lake to 16
Mael
From Mael to the waterfall 11
Rykanfoss
103